


i'll go with you (stay with me)

by jabbertune



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Lots of side pairings, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Multi, Slow Burn, Violence, character study of sorts, tags will be added as fic updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 17:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17369927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jabbertune/pseuds/jabbertune
Summary: "We're not kids anymore, are we?""...No.""But we aren't adults either.""No, not really.""Then what are we?""Struggling."- - -DOUBLE DEE POVAfter the Ed's graduate high school, a family emergency happens in Eddy's life, causing his older brother to move back to town. Double Dee's life quickly spirals out of control as the trio begin the difficult path of young adulthood - jobs, money, school, and most of all - relationships. What will happen to Eddy and Double Dee's relationship through the choices they make?





	i'll go with you (stay with me)

**Author's Note:**

> !!! PLEASE READ NOTES BEFORE READING FIC !!!
> 
> hey all!! thank you for clicking on my fic to read. i've worked really hard on this to develop this into a well rounded fic and i hope that you enjoy it!! 
> 
> please read through ALL the tags before reading!! i will also be updating the tags as i update this fic as well as including triggers/possible triggers in the notes section of each chapter. this fic is currently rated T but i know at a certain point i will have to raise that to M or E. so please - if you wanna keep up with this fic, check the tags every so often!!
> 
> for reference - i have aged everyone up. most of the cul-de-sac will have just graduated high school unless otherwise stated. i had to struggle for a bit trying to decide what year to place this fic in. should i modernize it or keep it at it's time? i decided on the latter.
> 
> i decided to place the fic in 2004. the show originally aired in 1999 and seemed to take place over a confined course of time despite how long the show ran. i estimated the majority of the kids being in 8th grade then. so that would make 2004 their graduate year if i did my math right. i was a 10 year old child in 2004 so my memory isn't accurate about it lmao. but i did look up a lot of stuff and have a stack of references and will include those in the fic as they're applicable!!
> 
> alright this is too long. i hope yall enjoy and please leave a comment!!

\- - - (DD POV)

I wish there was an easier way to tell this story. There isn’t. It can’t be told without of all the... mess and heartbreak. It’s difficult to say where point A begins and where point B ends - but I suppose this will suffice. All I can do is start from the beginning and struggle to the end. Just know I did the things I had to do because they had to be done - not because I wanted to do them. Not all of them at least.

No. I did them because they _had_ to be done. The good and the bad - especially the bad. But that’s what this is about, right?

What I had to do.

\- - -

**June 12th, 2004, 9:13am  
**

I woke with a start, the room eerily quiet. My heart raced as my brain tried to fight away the sleep-fog. My mind grabbed for straws at my dream, unable to recall specific details. A loud snore -  from Ed, I presume - came from the floor. I sat up a bit, peering over the edge of the bed at my friend. My eye caught his familiar shape beneath blankets. Another loud snore from the pile of blankets broke the silence.

Hiding my chuckle, I flopped over onto my back and sprawled out across Eddy’s bed. I brought my hands to my face, rubbing the sleep around as I struggled to wake up. I slept unusually well considering Eddy’s not-ideal quality of mattress.

Ed, Eddy, and I had graduated high school this past Wednesday. Naturally, the three of us went on a bit of a hang-out bender. The majority of our time had been spent at Eddy’s house, filling our time with water-gun fights and late-night movie nights. It was a much needed and appreciated break from the stress of finishing high school. 

Pulling my right hand away from my face and up, I extended my arm to my right and let it flop down not too gently. I expected it to collide with Eddy’s back or shoulder, a feeble attempt at waking him up. Instead, my arm fell half a second longer than expected and plopped onto the mattress with a dull _thud_. I rolled over onto my side, eyes searching for Eddy. I expected to see him curled up against the edge. All I was met with was more empty bed.

Suddenly very awake, I shot upright. Something felt… off. Scratching my head under my hat, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand. Glancing at it in my hand, I noticed the screen was blinking - indicating I had a message. I rubbed the remnants of sleep away from my eyes with a sigh. Flipping it open, I was greeted to three text messages from Eddy. 

The first had a time stamp of 1:32am. It read - _‘sorry i left in the middle of the night. emergency.’_

The second - 3:56am. _‘I dont know whats going on i wish you guys were here.’_

The third - 8:17am. Only an hour ago. _‘Im in my backyard whenever you up.’_

Alarmed, I threw the covers off of me and scrambled out of bed. The blanket caught on my ankle, causing me to slip as I rushed myself. Struggling to free myself, I looked towards Eddy’s bedroom window. The sun was already up and bright, everything looking fresh in the morning sun. I could hear the _chirp chirp_ s of a nest of birds outside. It made me feel more apprehensive.

Unsure of exactly how warm it was, I grabbed a throw blanket off the bed. I threw it over my shoulder, glimpsing at Ed. He was still on the floor, but had now shifted into a new and comical position. He was crumpled on the floor, face down and on his knees with his butt in the air. I don’t know how he sleeps like that, let alone on the floor. Stuffing down a laugh, I turned away from Ed and made my way to the sliding door. 

It doesn’t open as smoothly anymore. The door sticks now when it’s about half open. Shoving it aside with a loud _thud,_ I looked out across the backyard. I squinted my eyes as they tried to adjust to the sunlight. Eventually, my gaze fell to the far side of the yard. Although hesitant, I took a few steps forward.

The day before, the three of us had had an hour-long water balloon/gun fight. It had been Ed’s idea to bring the old kiddie pool to be a “safe zone”. It escalated when Ed ran home to grab his super soaker. Eddy had pretended to be angry about it, but I could tell he had a blast. It felt like we were kids again, just for a bit.

Seeing Eddy laying in the half-inflated pool, starfished out in a sign of defeat - I felt the farthest thing from a child.

“Eddy?” I finally spoke up. My voice cracked, awkward and froggy. He let out a huff.

“God, _finally_ you’re awake.” Eddy groaned. He threw his arms up as if he were reaching for the sky. I raised an eyebrow at him, hoping Eddy could feel the quizzical look I was giving him. 

“Eddy, what are you doing?” I questioned. A yawn escaped me as I took a few more steps towards my friend. Eddy lowered his arm onto his stomach. I watched his movements, my eyes trailing up to his face as I waited for him to respond. That’s when I saw his eye.

“Eddy, dear Lord!” I exclaimed. The blanket fell from my shoulders as I dropped to my knees next to Eddy. I reached for his hands, a familiar comfort-action left over from our childhood. Eddy flinched, pulling his hands away from me.

I froze.

“Double Dee… I don’t even know where to start.” Eddy groaned. He turned his face away from me, the fresh and painful-looking black eye glaring at me now. It was a violent red and purple color, the hues bleeding together across swollen skin. There was a deep gash across the bridge of his nose. Evidence of where someone’s knuckle - or ring - had connected. Semi-dry blood stuck around the wound, a dry trickle going down the side of Eddy’s face from laying down.

“Eddy, what on earth happened?” I questioned, fighting down the shrillness of my voice. I clenched my hands against my knees as I waited for him to speak. Too many beats passed. Eddy stared hard up at the sky, blinking several times. After a long moment of silence, it dawned on me that he was blinking back tears. A loud groan from Eddy cut across the silence, making me jump.

“ _Ugh!_ My dad had a heart attack while my parents were out last night. I met my mom at the hospital while you and Ed were sleeping.” Eddy wetly said. His voice had started out loud and frustrated. By the time his mouth said ‘hospital’, Eddy’s voice had become quiet and defeated. By this point in my life, Eddy’s naturally loud voice had become white noise to me at points. His softer and sadder tones always caught me off guard. Combined with the information, my head went spinning.

“What?!” I gasped, still trying to process the information.

“Yeah. He’s still in the hospital, but he’s gonna be ok. Gonna be out of work for a while.” Eddy grumbled, the wetness gone from his voice. He kept his gaze fixed at the sky above me, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh, Eddy, I - … what will that entail?” I asked. Ok. His father had a heart attack in the middle of the night. For some ungodly reason, he didn’t wake me - or Ed - up. Somehow this lead him to having a black eye and a busted nose. Ok. _Breathe._

A long sigh came from him.

“My Bro is moving back to town.”

I instantly connected the dots. The immediate sour taste in my mouth made me feel ill.

It had been years since I last saw Eddy’s brother. We foolishly ran from the cul-de-sac in our youth, unknowingly seeking refuge in the wrong haven. The way the older man had treated Eddy haunted me for many years. The casual abuse, the way Eddy folded into himself in that moment, the loathsome sneers his brother had glued to his face, his joy tormenting Eddy -

I hated every bit of his brother. The sudden burst of anger inside me also made me feel ill.

“Eddy, I… did he do this to you?” I asked. Stuffing my anger down to something manageable for a moment, I peered down at Eddy. He continued to hold his gaze away from me but the hard expression on his face was beginning to crack.

Eddy finally glanced in my direction. He only allowed it to last a second when he realized I was staring right at him. Blinking like rapid fire, Eddy’s eyes turned back up to the sky as a stray tear fell down the side of his face. A few more escaped before Eddy angrily wiped them away. Loudly sniffing. One, two, three beats passed before he sighed again.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. But we gotta make a plan, Sockhead.”

\- - -

**June 12th, 2004, 10:48am**

“Ed, please - !”

“But Double Dee!”

“Just hold on, please!” I shouted.

Both of my arms were wrapped around one of my larger friends’. With my eyebrows up-turned and pleading, I held my gaze with Ed. I glanced at our arms. Mine looked so spindly and weak compared to Ed’s more toned physique. Will I always be this small?

“Ed, please. Just wait for Eddy to return so we can discuss this together.” I reasoned. Ed’s tight muscles relaxed beneath my hold. My fingertips held onto him for a second longer before hesitantly letting go. Ed awkwardly shifted his weight on his feet, taking a step back from me as he did so.

“Double Dee -” Ed started to say, cut off by the loud _whirr-squeak_ of Eddy’s shower turning off.

Ok, ok, Eddy won’t be pleased that I told Ed what was going on, but what else was I supposed to do? I didn’t tell Ed everything, per say. Just enough details until Eddy can fill the gaps in. Eddy ran off into the shower before our larger friend could finish waking up. Not that I’ll disagree that he greatly needed a shower, but that’s beside the point. Focusing my attention back to Ed, I held his gaze for a long few seconds before speaking. 

“Ok, Ed, please. Let’s hear what Eddy has to say before we start launching our own plans, ok?” I asked. Ed opened his mouth to speak, but paused before doing so. He glanced away from me as he finally retracted his arm from my grasp. Ed stuck his bottom lip between his teeth, worry written all over him.

“Ok.”

Before I could quickly come up with a game plan to breech this topic with Eddy, the bathroom door flew open behind us. Eddy having a bathroom attached to his room became more and more convenient as we got older. At this moment I was cursing the layout of the house for not allowing Ed and I to have another 30 seconds. I whipped my head around, heart pounding. Why do I feel like we’re kids that got caught red handed doing something wrong?

“Ok, ladies, I got myself a plan here.” Eddy called out as he walked through the door. His hair was still wet, slicked back flat against his skull. He had his towel draped over his shoulders, also still wet and dripping on the floor as he walked. I noticed his boxers were a size too large as I watched Eddy sit on his bed. The legs of his undergarments rose up his thighs just a slight as he situated himself. I picked up on three quarter-sized bruises on his lower thighs before it fully dawned on me I was openly staring at my _friend’s_ bare legs. Flushing something crazy, I glued my eyes to the floor.

“Ah - uhm - and uh, what would th-that be, exactly?” I stammered. Smooth move there, kiddo. Eddy, however, either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it. He opened his bedside drawer with too much force, items inside clanging together.

“Well, it seems pretty obvious to me but I guess I can spell it out for you simpletons.” Eddy grumbled as he grabbed a jar from the drawer. Twisting it open, he scooped up a sickening amount between his fingers before plopping it down on his head.

“Dear Lord, Eddy.”

“Relax, Sockhead. You’re not _that_ simple.” Eddy retorted, combing the gel through wet hair. I rolled my eyes.

“That’s not what I meant! Besides, don’t you think someone needs to be filled in?” I shot back. I fixed Eddy with a hard stare before pointing to Ed, who had been standing behind Eddy this whole time.

“I’m here, too!” Ed exclaimed, causing our shorter friend to jump in his seat. Before either of us could respond, Ed leapt straight up into the air. In the past I would have gasped, braced myself for the landing, shouted at the two of them, joined in, something.

Instead I just rolled my eyes.

Eddy shouted _Ed!_ nearly at the top of his lungs as Ed plummeted into the bed. Ed’s full and contagious laughter filled the room, bouncing off the walls with him. The two wrestled around on the bed for a good minute as I stood there. Arms crossed over my chest, I tapped my foot against the ground, trying to be patient. It wasn’t until Eddy threw a pillow I allowed myself a small chuckle. I counted a few more beats before letting out an amused sigh. Ok, fun time’s over.

“Ok, ok you two!” I shouted over their laughter. I don’t know how Eddy could be laughing at a time like this and I hate to bring it to an end. But he’s right. We need to come up with a plan.

The two bounced around on the bed for a bit longer before they quieted down. I stood above them, looking down at them with my arms crossed over my chest. Is this what it’s like to be a teacher? Or a parent? Because this feels awkward and not enjoyable at all.

I uncrossed my arms.

“Well, Eddy, as you were saying. What’s the plan?” I spoke up before either of them could. Ed leaned over my field of vision, blocking Eddy. He had his all-too-familiar puppy dog expression. He’s perfected it over the years since we were kids. Ed even has the gall to use it against teachers and have it work out - and he surely knows I can’t resist it.

“Double Dee! Don’t forget about me!” Ed whined. Patting him on the shoulder, I scooted him away from our smaller friend. Turning my attention back to Eddy, I now saw all of the previous laughter had left him. That stone cold seriousness he had earlier when speaking outside - it burned brightly on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed just a bit, lips pursed together in a tight frown. The bruise around his eye and nose made him look much more callous than he normally does. Compared to his pale skin and the freshness of his shower, the bruises shined violently. Although his expression was fixed and determined, his gaze was glued to the wall next to me. A million miles away.

My heart thumped a little too hard.

“Eddy?” I quipped. I waved my hand in front of his face. He blinked a few times before shaking his head a little bit. Looking up at me, Eddy shrugged. He glanced over at Ed, who was somehow waiting ever-so patiently on Eddy’s words.

“Well…”

\- - -

**June 12, 2004, 1:32pm**

“Double Dee.”

“Hmm?”

“I need to talk to you.”

I looked over my shoulder at Ed, raising an eyebrow at him, I turned the key in the lock, hearing the faint _click_ before taking it out. Back in my pocket you go. Brushing my hands against the sides of my jacket, I shrugged at my friend.

“What is it, Ed?”

“Can we wait ‘til Eddy leaves?” Ed replied a little too quickly. His voice had that familiar nervous worry to it whenever Ed has something on his mind.

After explaining in greater detail what happened the night before - minus how Eddy got injured - Ed was of course in hysterics. It took both me and Eddy to wrestle our large friend to the ground to prevent him from driving over to the hospital. Although Ed and I had never been particularly close to Eddy’s father, we had all formed a kinship with each other’s parents over the years. That of course meant being there in times of distress.

We managed to calm Ed down enough to briefly discuss a plan for Eddy. It was agreed without much discussion that it would be best if Eddy found a job - at least for the summer, to help out. The only problem, we realized, was that most places hiring in town had already done so for the summer. It was already almost the middle of June, after all. I began to compose a list of locations to still send a resume to as Eddy started rambling off half-baked schemes.

It had been quite a few years since we last tried to put a scheme together, but every so often Eddy would come up with some that always went nowhere. It took me a few years to realize he did this as a way to relieve stress. It hasn’t been since middle school since the three of us have tried to pull a scheme off. I stopped indulging his ideas long ago, now only adding joking commentary when needed. It was only rare occasions I would scold him for whatever insane scheme he came up with.

His train of thought varied from elaborate bake sales to fake theme parks to more put together spa experiences. It wasn’t until he started on yet another extravagant plot that I realized he was describing a bank heist.

“ _Eddy!_ ” I had shouted, cutting him off mid word. Before we could really get into a shouting match, the front door of his house slammed shut. His mother yelled across the house for Eddy.

That’s when we all stopped and everything became a bit of a blur. While Eddy left the room to speak with his mother, Ed and I quickly changed and packed our items. Eddy came back just as I finished zipping my backpack up, Somewhere in the time he had been gone, Eddy had managed to change into a plain but clean pair of sweatpants with a basic tee. Rifling through his pockets, he pulled his keys out of his pocket as he walked up to me.

 _“My mom and I are heading back to the hospital soon. Will you lock up when you leave?”_ Eddy tried to casually say but said it with a much softer tone than usual. Nodding, I let Eddy drop his keys into my open hand.

_“Of course.”_

“Double Dee, I think they’re leaving.” Ed’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I heard the familiar clunking noise of Eddy’s garage door closing. The car peeled out of the garage and down the driveway. I watched Eddy through the passenger window as they drove away. He and his mother appeared to be in a heated discussion. She had a calm but even expression on her face, eyes glued to the windshield. Eddy had his body turned towards her, appearing to be talking very fast and at a high volume. I watched their car drive away until they turned the corner towards the Junior High. 

“What do you wish to discuss, Ed?” I finally turned my attention to my other friend. He stood next to me, leaning against the wall lining the walkway up to Eddy’s house. He leaned to his left a bit, awkwardly avoiding the shrubbery planted next to the front door. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I feel real terrible, Double Dee!” Ed exclaimed. He slouched against the wall as he spoke, sinking to the ground, his eyes suddenly full of tears. Before any could escape, he buried his face in his hands. Alarmed, I planted myself down on the door step next to him. He sniffled loudly as he tried to control himself. A sob still managed to escape him.

“Ed! What on earth is wrong?” I questioned. He let out a few more _huh huh huh_ sobs before tearing his hands away from his face. Fat tears continued to roll down his face, his lower lip sticking out and quivering with controlled sobs.

“I - I - ! Oh, Double Dee! I feel so sad for Eddy!” Ed exclaimed with another sob. He buried his face back in his hands, more sobs escaping him. Taken aback, I struggled for a second. I didn’t think Ed would take this news _this_ hard. I mean - it is a serious situation and downright scary. Being in Eddy’s position must be truly awful. Reaching out to Ed, I placed a hand on his knee and patted.

“Oh, Ed, it’s going to be ok! Eddy’s father received excellent medical care and will continue to do so when he’s home. He’ll have to rest for some time, but… it’ll be ok.” I started out strong but ended on a weak note. Was it really going to be ok? Those words felt hollow as I said them. Ed sniffed.

“It’s… it’s not that. I’m a bad friend.” Ed quietly said. I frowned.

“Why on earth would you say that?”

“I left my job at the gas station.”

Oh.

“Oh?”

“I - I was going to tell you guys today! But, ah, you know.” Ed replied, mouth quivering around his words. My mind reeled as I tried to connect the dots.

“I don’t understand, Ed.” I flatly said. Ed let out a sigh with another loud sniffle. He cleared his throat as he wiped at his face, collecting himself a bit before speaking again.

“Rolf and his family offered me a job for the summer on their family farm. It pays better than the gas station.” Ed calmly said, his voice wavering only slightly. Thinking, I reached up and dug my fingers underneath my hat, scratching my head. Nope, still no clue what’s going on here.

“Ed, you’ve worked at that gas station for two years.” I lamely replied. In the grand scheme of things, that fact didn’t make much of a difference either way. Of course Ed’s not obligated to keep working there just because he’s been there for a length of time. It just seems to be an odd choice considering the job security.

“I don’t care about that! The thing is - I promised May my position when I leave. My boss already ok’d it.” Ed lamented. He let out a couple more sobs when he finished before resorting back to his closed quivering lip. I sat there, staring at him, flabbergasted. There’s been a lot of information today to process.

“Ok, but Ed - why do you feel guilty?”

“I… I could have offered Eddy that job. He needs it, too.” Ed quietly replied.

Oh.

“Oh, Ed! Please don’t feel guilty about that! You had this planned before this all happened, how could you have known?” I exclaimed. My motherly-mode kicked in, trying my best to reassure my friend. I patted him on the knee again, being careful not to keep my hand there too long. Ed sniffled loudly again. It didn’t prevent a large glob of snot from falling from his nose. Ugh. I gave him one more pat on the knee before slowly pulling my hand away.

“Still… I feel guilty! Should I talk to May?” Ed shouted.

“Ed, no! She’s your girlfriend, you promised her this.” I insisted. Ed and May had started dating a few years back - not to the surprise of many. They admittedly made a compatible and - dare I say it - adorable couple. In recent months, Ed had fallen head-over-heels for May again after she said the big “L” word to him one night. Ever since, Ed had leapt way over bounds to do anything for the two of them. May had struggled to find a job during our senior year of high school. I can’t blame Ed for wanting to help her, after all.

“But - we still need to do something.” Ed pleaded. I nodded at him thinking.

Is Ed right? Should he talk to May? No, that’s preposterous! They arranged that before this all happened, it wouldn’t be fair to May. I don’t quite understand why she needs the job, maybe Ed can fill me in on that. But back to Eddy. How can we help him? We can go around town and hand businesses his resume. Something is bound to come up. I’ll even look at the next town over if we have to. I refuse to let Eddy go through this alone.

“We’ll figure something out, Ed.”

\- - -

**June 12th, 2004, 4:02pm**

“Hey, Double Dee! Wait up!”

I stopped in my tracks and turned around, the sun shining brightly in my eyes. Squinting, I raised a hand up to my face to block the sun. To my surprise, it was Kevin slowly jogging over to me. I waved at him.

After parting ways with Ed at Eddy’s, I wandered back to my house for a few hours of solitude. Ed and I had agreed to meet up later on, when we anticipated Eddy would be home. I spent my first hour going through my parents sticky notes from the week again before moving on to the dishes. My thoughts were full of ways that Ed and I could help Eddy, making it hard for me to wash the dishes properly. I finished a handful of more chores before changing my clothes and heading back towards Ed’s house. My brain was still traveling at a million miles a minute when Kevin stopped me.

“Salutations, Kevin.” I said as he entered range of hearing me. He waved at me as he slowed to a walk. His basketball shorts and muscle tee matched his ever present appearance of “jock”. Kevin had grown near Ed’s height over the years, lean and muscular from years of football. Since that… particular instance with Eddy’s brother, Kevin has been on good terms with the three of us. I wouldn’t call us friends, but… polite to each other. Neighbors.

“Hey, glad I caught you. Can I ask you a favor?” Kevin said in a huff. Cutting to the chase, I see. Some things never change. I stepped to my right a few paces, now in position more next to Kevin than in front of him. I lowered my hand.

“Uhm? What kind of favor?”

“Nothing too bad! I hope, at least. You’re pretty smart, yeah?” Kevin rambled. His cheeks were flushed a little as he scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with me.

“Ah, well. A fair amount of people have regarded me as so, and I do pride myself in being quite studious -”

“Yeah, exactly! You’re, like, super school smart!” Kevin exclaimed, cutting me off. I tried to politely smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

“Well, that’s certainly one way to put it.”

“So, uh - you know, I got into college on my football scholarship. But math was my worst subject. Like, really bad. I’m only working part time over the summer so, uh. I was hoping - that you’d help me out a bit.” Kevin struggled through his thought process. He continued to look everywhere but me the entire time he spoke. I raised my eyebrows.

“Are you implying I tutor you this summer?” I asked, smiling a little as I spoke. Teaching others and sharing knowledge fills me with an immense amount of joy! Also, not going to lie - I had always wondered if Kevin would ask me to tutor him in high school. A fair amount of our peers at school asked me to tutor them, actually. Kevin, however, never did - despite knowing he needed the help, apparently.

“Well, I mean - if you’re cool with it. I can pay you if that helps.” Kevin awkwardly said. I shook my head at him, wide eyed.

“O-oh! Kevin, there’s no need - !”

“Seriously, Double Dee. You’d really be helping me out. I owe you, like, big time.” Kevin cut me off. I wasn’t aware that I had agreed to this but alright. Letting out a sigh, I scratched the side of my face as I thought. I am in a bit of a predicament.

Hmm.

I could ask Kevin for some assistance with Eddy’s problem. But would Eddy be ok with me doing that? I would say that normally, no. He certainly would _not_ be ok with me sharing his personal information to gain something. But… these aren’t normal circumstances. Eddy needs help. I’m his best friend. I have to help if I can - and I certainly can now.

“Owe me?” I repeated as the wheels turned.

“Yeah! You name it, dude, and I’ll get on it.” Kevin replied, a wide smile taking over him. He let out a long breath I wasn’t aware he was holding. Is he really that self conscious to ask for help? Then again, who am I to judge.

“That depends - is your work hiring?”

\- - -

**June 12th, 2004, 4:41pm**

“Ed! Ed, my good man! I have excellent news!”

Glee filled me as I bounded up the path to Ed’s house. I saw his head sticking out from behind the foliage in the front yard. It blocked my view of whatever Ed was doing in the yard. It was already a bit unusual to see my friend in the front yard - the norm has always been Ed’s mother restricting us to the back.  

“What’re you doing, Ed?” I heard myself say. I rounded the corner around the foliage. My eyes immediately fell on three things: the small stack of cinder blocks, the large pile of watermelon, and the aluminum bat in Ed’s hands.

“Oh, hiya Double Dee!” Ed shouted at me. He waved at me with one hand, swinging the bat up to rest on his shoulder with the other. Ed had that all-too familiar goofy grin of his. 

“Wh-what are you doing, Ed?” I stammered. He lifted the bat off his shoulder, swinging it out in front of him to grip with his other hand. Spreading his feet apart in a wide stance, Ed began to swing the bat back and forth. As if an invisible baseball were swinging in front of him.

“Swing, batta batta! _Swing!_ ” Ed exclaimed, giving one last hard swing. He watched the invisible ball fly up into the sky, across the cul-de-sac, landing on the pavement near Johnny’s old house. I allowed a few seconds to pass before turning my attention back to Ed.

“Ed.”

“Out of the park, she is. I’m smashing watermelons, Double Dee!” Ed exclaimed. His gradual change of topic can be endearing sometimes. I looked back down at the pile of watermelon. They appeared to be in fine condition as I glanced at the top of the pile.

“Um - may I ask _why?_ ” I said, my voice cracking at the end. Ed turned away from me as he bent over to pick up a watermelon, chuckling. He’s so tall and lanky now, bending down to the ground takes him some time. His spine curved as he crouched down. Vertebrae poked out from his skin beneath his striped tank top. Although Ed was considerably more fit than Eddy and me, he continued to maintain this overall look of malnutrition. Flushing, I forced my eyes back to the watermelons as Ed turned back to me.

“Double Dee, I don’t know how else to get rid of them!” Ed responded matter-of-factly.

“Ed, why on earth would you need to get rid of them?” I incredulously asked. Large melon in one hand, Ed gently placed it down on top of the stack of cinder blocks. There easily had to be 20 melons in his pile. They’re an expensive fruit, no matter the time of the year. Placing the bat in his right hand, Ed swung his arm around like a windmill for a short moment. The bat made a low whirring noise as it spun in his hand. I feared Ed would take off the ground. He stopped before I could advise him to.

“Rolf asked me to! He said his family harvested too many and asked me to help!” Ed exclaimed. Now gripping the bat with both hands, he raised the bat high above his head. My heart leapt into my throat, unsure of how to brace for the impact.

In one quick _whoosh_ motion, the bat collided with the watermelon. It exploded like it’s insides were made of jello - which I suppose isn’t that far off. Watermelon splatter shot out across the yard, all over Ed, and at my feet. I gasped a second after the fact. My heart thumped in my chest. Ed let out his typical _huh huh huh_ chuckle as he reached to grab another watermelon.

“ _Ed!_ ” I screeched. He stopped chuckling but didn’t stop his movements. In one swift motion, he grabbed another melon from the pile. Gently setting it on the pile of cinder blocks, he turned back to me.

“Isn’t this fun, Double Dee?”

“Not exactly, no. A bit messy for my taste.” I replied with a grimace. Scratching at my legs through my pants, I reached for my phone in my pocket. I hadn’t looked at it much through the day, distracted by everything else going on. The front screen indicated I had a text message.

“Do we have a plan for Eddy, Double Dee?” Ed spoke up before smashing his second watermelon. I waited until the splatter settled before flipping my phone open to read my text message. My breath hitched as I saw it was from Eddy.

4:36pm - _‘i’ll be back at my house soon an im not happy’_

Frowning, I looked up from my phone back at Ed. He had a small smile glued to his face, patiently waiting on my words. It was moments like this that made me wish I could be more like Ed sometimes. Waiting on the news of other people instead of being the bearer. It must be nice not having to worry about giving news, good or bad.

“I think I do have a plan, actually. I’m not sure if Eddy will enjoy it, but it’s worth a shot.” I replied. Snapping my phone shut, I forced it back into my back pocket. I’m not sure how ‘soon’ soon means for Eddy. What it means for me is I need to wrap this up with Ed. I looked back up at Ed and sighed.

“Oh boy, oh boy!” Ed exclaimed, jumping as he spoke. Chunks of watermelon splatter squished under his feet. I couldn’t help but grimace.

“Well, don’t get too excited. I’m unsure if Eddy will be fond of this idea or not.” I said with a sigh. Ed stopped jumping around at my words, frowning.

“Why?”

“Well… to put it short, Kevin asked me to help tutor him this summer. I agreed to - in exchange for getting Eddy an interview at his work.” I said in an even tone. I’m surprised I held my tone considering how much my hands were shaking. Ed’s frown returned to his giant grin.

“Hooray!” Ed shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. He took a step forward, arms reached out towards me for a hug. A small _eek!_ escaped me as I hurriedly stepped to my left. Thank the heavens I narrowly escaped his watermelon drenched hold.

“Not so fast, Ed! I’m not sure Eddy will be keen on this.” I reminded him. Ed dropped his arms to his sides, frowning again.

“Why?”

“Ah, well - I-I had to disclose - uhm… what’s going on to Kevin. A-and Eddy isn’t the type of person to casually talk to people about the circumstances of his life, so - guh!” I cut myself off. My heart leap up into my throat as I rambled, making it hard to continue. Ed continued to frown at me. It made my heart beat faster.

“At the bike hospital?” Ed questioned. I nodded.

“Yes, at the bicycle shop. They do more than repairs, Ed, but… yeah.” I lamely said. My hopes for this plan continued to deflate the more I said it out loud. Fantastic. I chewed at my bottom lip. Will Eddy be more angry I disclosed personal information than he is glad to possibly have a job? It’s likely. Oh God.

“Aw, Eddy’s just a shy dickens, he is. He’ll go for it.” Ed countered. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I looked over at my friend. He winked at me as we made eye contact, offering me a goofy grin. I rolled my eyes again in mock anger but couldn’t help my own smile from spreading.

“Hmm, possibly. I don’t think he has much of a choice to be honest.” I mumbled. Ed didn’t appear to hear me as he turned away from me back to the pile of melons. That is the truth, though. Eddy doesn’t have a lot of choices given the circumstances. Kevin assured me it paid descent despite the lack of hours at times. I figured anything was better than nothing, so I agreed with Kevin to arrange an interview for Eddy. I bite down a bit too hard on my lip, wincing as I did. Gross, gross, I need to stop that.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna smash, Double Dee?” Ed spoke up. While I was zoning out, he had placed another watermelon on the stack of cinder blocks. He gestured the bat towards me, grinning. I sighed.

“Fine! Fine. Eddy should be back soon, anyway.” I caved. Ed leapt up in the air with a _yippie!_ before shoving the bat in my hands. He pushed me around so we switched spots. The watermelon squished something ugly under our feet. I awkwardly held the bat in my hands. It didn’t dawn on me until right then that I didn’t actually know how to correctly hold a bat. Shrugging, I shifted my hands around until something felt natural.

“Yay! Double Dee is gonna smash!” Ed exclaimed as he jumped around more. I smiled at him, waiting until he was done celebrating to actually do it. Spreading my feet apart to get a better stance, I raised my arms above my head. That way I can get this over with the second Ed is done. As I watched my friend leap about, I heard a loud car come down the street to the cul-de-sac. Distracted, I stood up straighter to better look over the foliage.

Pulling up in a rather large pick up truck, whale shaped trailer in tow, was Eddy’s brother.

My heart dropped through the earth.

I watched him pull the truck and tow around the bend of the cul-de-sac, closer to Kevin’s house than Ed’s. I watched him the best I could through the driver side window. It was hard to see him at my distance, but I couldn’t break my gaze. He either didn’t see us or chose to ignore us as he kept his gaze down towards his lap. The truck idled as he sat, loud and making my ears ring. Or was it the anger creeping up my back?

Not long after, Eddy’s mom’s car came zooming down the street. The garage door was still opening, car not even stopped, when Eddy leapt out of the passenger seat. His mother quickly rolled down her window, shouting _Eddy!_ as he briskly walked around the car. Eddy didn’t avert his fixed stare from Ed’s house. The truck engine cut off as Eddy made his way down the sidewalk. The door flew open and there he was.

Eddy’s brother looked just as distasteful as the last time I saw him.

Those oddly familiar dark, sunken in eyes with pale skin made my own skin crawl. Eddy’s brother hadn’t changed much over the years since we last met. I noticed a bit of facial hair, but it was hard to tell from this distance any other facial changes. He wore jeans that looked two sizes too big for him, a T-shirt three sizes too big for him, and a form fitting blazer. A backwards trucker hat donned his head. Quick, someone give him an award for “best dressed loser”.

Eddy came around the end of the trailer and the back of the truck. He didn’t acknowledge his brother as he walked by. I heard the older man yell _Hey, little man!_ before reaching out and grabbing Eddy’s arm. Eddy yanked his arm right out of his brothers grasp. He turned to say something to his brother. I couldn’t hear because of the distance - couldn’t read Eddy’s lips since he was looking away from me. I could, however, see his brother’s reaction.

I still couldn’t hear what was being said, but I swear I could hear the _tch_ sound the older man did in my head. I saw him openly laugh at my friend before saying his nasty remark. Eddy quickly turned on his heel as his brother barked out another laugh. I glanced down just for a second at the watermelon still waiting to be crushed. Anger was bursting through my veins, heart pounding uncomfortably against my chest. I tried to even my breathing.

Looking back up, I saw Eddy marching quickly over to Ed’s house. His face was a brilliant red, hands balled into fists. I looked past him at his brother. The older man watched my friend walk across the pavement, chuckling to himself. He looked up at me for a second, smirking as he gave a slight wave in my direction. My grip tightened on the bat. There was a split second in my angry thought process where I wished the melon was Eddy’s brother’s head. It was easy to picture, even just for a second.

Maintaining eye contact with Eddy’s brother, with all the strength my body could muster, I swung the bat down as hard as I could onto the watermelon.

_SPLAT!_

\- - -

**June 12th, 2004, 10:26pm**

“Good night there, Eddy! Don’t let the bed bugs scare you!”

“Too late for that, Lumpy.”

Ed chuckled as he bounced a few paces ahead of Eddy and me. We reached the point along the fencing of the Lane that blocked viewers from Ed’s house. He turned, giving us once last grin and a wave before jumping over the fence. He leapt as if he were made of silly putty - which I wouldn’t be surprised if he was. 

Ed and I had let Eddy smash the rest of the watermelons earlier. He clearly needed to release some frustration. Eddy’s brother had retreated inside their house with their mother. He didn’t reappear - at least, not while we were in the front yard. As soon as the last watermelon was crushed, Eddy threw the bat on the ground.

 _“Let’s get outta here.”_ Eddy had grumbled. We all stumbled into Ed’s back yard, leapt the fence, wandering down the Lane towards the junkyard. As soon as I could, without Eddy noticing, I sent Ed a text. I figured it would be best to wait until the next morning to reveal our news to Eddy. Thankfully, Ed had his phone with him for once. He looked at my text before he had the chance to let anything slip to Eddy.

We wandered around the junkyard for the majority of the evening. Eddy wanted to re-explore everything. Nothing has changed a whole lot at the junkyard over the years - minus our care towards the van. The three of us a few years ago managed to come together and spruce up the inside. Make it decent enough to hang out in at least. Replaced the carpet inside with something less musty, repainted the interior walls, and replaced the battery. That way we wouldn’t freeze to death if we came here in the winter.

Eddy didn’t bring up his parents, the hospital, his brother, or jobs. So Ed and I continued to be mum about it.

Eddy had us out as late as he could. Ed’s mother still enforces a curfew - at least for the time being - so we had to reluctantly wander back to Ed’s before ten-thirty. Now that Ed had parted ways, Eddy and I walked in comfortable silence. Well, somewhat comfortable.

“Man! This has been a day.” Eddy suddenly spoke up. I raised an eyebrow at him as we continued to walk.

“Yes, indeed it has.” I softly said. That’s a bit of an understatement, but he’s not wrong. Eddy slowed his pace a bit as we neared the end of the Lane. I awkwardly stumbled to match his pace.

“I just -... nevermind.” Eddy said. He shrugged his shoulder, adjusting his jacket as he did so. I frowned.

“Eddy.”

“What?”

“What is it?” I questioned. If I push him too hard, he probably won’t talk. Eddy sighed as he shrugged again. He scraped his feet against the pavement, kicking a rock at the chain link fence lining the playground. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Eddy took a couple hasty steps again ahead of me. So his face could be hidden, most likely. I tightened my frown.

“I’m just really angry about everything today.” Eddy’s voice cut across the quiet lane. He stopped walking when we reached the T in the road. Left - down to the playground entrance. Right - back up to our houses. Eddy looked left and right, like a child waiting to cross the street. Turning back to me, Eddy groaned., He plopped himself down on the ground, cross legged. Ok, now he really looked childish.

“Well, Eddy, that’s more than understandable!” I exclaimed. I sat myself down on the sidewalk next to him. I curled my legs up to my chest as I planted my butt on the ground. The street lamp above us flickered. Eddy sighed again. He still had his hands in his pockets, but I could tell he was fidgeting. I saw his fingers moving around in circles beneath the fabric of his pockets.

“Ugh, Double Dee. I know I should be more upset about my dad, but I’m not.” Eddy groaned. It sounded painful for him to say that out loud.

“Eddy - “

“I mean, not like that! I am sad and upset and worried. But… I’m honestly a lot more focused on my bro being back.” Eddy started out sure of himself, finishing off small and quiet. Almost like he was afraid his brother would pop out from anywhere. Given how his brother has treated him his whole life, I would be on edge as well. Picking at the hem of my jeans, I chewed on the inside of my mouth as I thought.

“You know, Eddy… you never told me what happened.” I cautiously said. I kept my eyes glued on my knees, continuing to pick at my jeans.

“I think I’ve been pretty clear about what’s going on.” Eddy grumbled. I heard him wipe his hands on his jeans. I couldn’t stop my eyes from darting in his direction. He had his own gaze fixed on the sidewalk, one hand playing with a tiny rock on the ground. His other hand remained in his jacket pocket, still fidgeting. I frowned.

“Eddy, you know I mean your face.”

Eddy grimaced as his hand froze. The little rock he had been playing with fell from his fingers. Eyebrows furrowed, he glanced up at me. He had his own small frown glued to his face. I held his gaze for a couple of seconds before breaking it. I looked down the sidewalk, up towards our neighborhood. I heard Eddy’s jacket ruffle as he shifted in his seat.

“There… there isn’t much to say, Double Dee.” Eddy gruffly replied. I lowered my knees from my chest, shifting into a cross legged position as I turned my attention back to my friend.

“On the contrary, Eddy. I think there’s plenty to say.” I boldly replied. I met his gaze as I turned. He now had a tighter frown on his face, lips pursed in straight line. His eyebrows were furrowed as well - or as furrowed as they could be. His black eye had become considerably swollen as the day passed. Eddy refused my pleas earlier in the day to apply ice to it. Finally, he turned away from me and let out a long sigh.

“What do you want me to say, dude? Look - I met my brother at the hospital. My mom had asked him to take me home before going to see dad. It was, like, six a.m at that point so…” Eddy trailed. I patiently waited for him to continue, chewing more at the inside of my mouth.

“My bro picked me up and started arguing on our way back to the house. I don’t know, he was driving kind of crazy and I kept telling him to pull over so I could drive but… he kept refusing to and got _really_ mad at me. So we were arguing when we got back here and we cut through the backyard so I could just get back to my room, you know?” Eddy rambled. I nodded along with him as he spoke. Eddy opened his mouth a couple of times as he searched for the right words. He ran a hand through his hair before letting out a sigh.

“A-and?” I stammered.

“And, well. Double Dee, I think he was high or something so just - don’t worry about it, ok?” Eddy rushed through his words. I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped me.

“Eddy! Of course I’m going to worry about it! Please do _not_ tell me he’ll be living at your residence?” I exclaimed. How on earth could Eddy think I wouldn’t worry?!

“No, thank God no. He’ll be here ‘til the day after tomorrow. The trailer park has an opening then.” Eddy reassured me the best he could. It was still too close for my liking. I understand why, considering their father’s condition for the time being - but still.

“How… how is he even going to help out? And how did he manage to get a spot at the trailer park?” I couldn’t help the bite in my voice. Eddy’s shoulders went stiff at my questions.

“Well, the secret weapon in all of this is Lee.” Eddy replied, an edge of his own bite in his tone. My mouth fell open. My heart began to beat an an uncomfortable pace.

“Lee? As in Lee Kanker?”

“Yeah, who knew they kept in contact.” Eddy grumbled with a dry laugh. I could feel my pent up anger from earlier begin to creep up my spine again. My palms started to get too sweaty as I felt heat crawl up my face. Although it had to be past eleven by now, the pavement felt warm from baking in the sun all day. It didn’t help my crawling anger at the moment.

I really need to work on controlling how worked up I get - it’s certainly not helping the situation right now.

“W-well, I suppose it’s a good thing, then? He won’t constantly be in proximity.” I feebly reasoned. My heart continued to pound as I tried to even out my breathing. How on earth would I have reacted if he _was_ going to be moving back into their house? Considering how good it felt to smash that watermelon earlier - probably not spectacular. Eddy barked out another dry laugh, breaking my thoughts.

“Yeah, you could say that again.” Eddy said with a sour smile.

“And he’s going to assist financially as well, correct?” I questioned. Eddy nodded.

“Correct-a-mundo, Sockhead. To make things even weirder - Lee hooked him up with a job, too.” Eddy said, a strong distaste in his tone.

Ok, woah, what? The events of today have been incredibly overwhelming. Eddy’s dad had a heart attack and s still in the hospital. His abusive brother has moved back to town. Ed quit his job to work for and with Rolf. I got Eddy an interview at Kevin’s job in exchange for tutoring. Lee somehow is handing a good thing here to Eddy’s brother on a silver platter for some reason.

I need to force the wheels in my brain to stop turning for a second so I can focus on what Eddy is saying. I missed a few sentences there but oh well.  

“ - besides, Double Dee. I’ll find a job of my own and can help my parents more, too. They’ll see Marcus doesn’t need to be here.” Eddy rambled. I blinked at him a few times.

“Marcus?” I repeated. Who in the world is that?

“Yeah? Marcus? My brother?” Eddy replied. He frowned at me. Oh. How had I gone this far in mine and Eddy’s friendship without ever knowing his older brother’s name? Worst of all - how did that not occur to me until right now?

“O-oh. Yes, your brother.” I stammered. I need to work on my recovery in awkward situations like this.

“Yeah. But anyway, I’ll get a job and things will be just peachy then.” Eddy said again. It sounded more forced this time but I chose to ignore it. Eddy’s mentioning jobs now and Ed’s not here to assist me with this and oh no this could go wrong. Ok, deep breath.

“Yes, well, Eddy - about the job situation…” I trailed. I lost the fraction of fleeting confidence I had there. Eddy perked up at my words.

“Yeah?”

“So, um - well, the thing is, uh - ?” I stammered, avoiding eye contact with Eddy at all costs. I could feel his confused and angry stare at me as the sidewalk around us suddenly became the more interesting thing in the world.

“Yes, Double Dee?” Eddy pressed.

“Well, the thing is - I think this can wait until the morning. You’ve had enough stress for the day.” I quickly said. Before Eddy could respond, I shot up from my sitting position. My quick rise from my seat caused a rush of dizziness to come over me as I stood up. I rapidly blinked away the blackness trying to cloud my vision.

“You know what - you’re right. This can wait.” Eddy huffed as he stood up beside me. I shoved my hands in my jacket pocket as the last bits of blackness faded from my vision.

Eddy stood beside me, one hand still in his own pocket. His other hand was reaching up towards me. He extended his arm around my shoulders, catching me in a “bro” type hug as he swung us in the direction of the cul-de-sac. It took us a few slow steps to find a rhythm, but in no time we were on our way down the street. Eddy began to ramble on about some television show him and Ed were currently sucked into. He knew I didn’t partake in watching this show. It didn’t stop him from expressing his predictions for the next week’s episode.

Eddy held my shoulders tight in his arm as we walked down the sidewalk. I could feel how warm he was as he pressed his side against me, pressing harder every now and then as he stumbled. I wanted to reach my own arm out and around his shoulders, walk briskly together - with one another. I felt my heart beat hard against my ribcage. Eddy’s musings became deaf in my ears.

Yes, Eddy was right. This can wait.

**Author's Note:**

> i just want to add here - i don't think eddy's brother has a name besides "eddy's bro" and "bro". so i just... gave him the first name that sounded halfway decent to me. marcus just feels like a very early 2000s name to me so i'm gonna stick with it lmao.


End file.
